Hanoi (VNA) – TheNational Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and theNational Committee for Disaster Response, Search and Rescue issued an officialdispatch in response to storm Bebinca, the fourth of its kind hitting thecountry this year.

Accordingly, coastal, island, andsea areas must closely follow the movement of the storm via the mass media,while also providing guidance for and keep close contact with the captains andowners of vessels and cruise boats to ensure the safety of lives and assets.

Mainland areas were also requiredto promptly alert authorities and people of the storm, actively drain water andprevent flooding in urban and agricultural farming areas, and ensure the safetyof dykes, reservoirs, and ongoing works.

Local residents in low-lying,coastal, and landslide-prone areas must be evacuated to prevent the risk of floodsand landslides.

The National Centre for Hydro-MeteorologicalForecasting was asked to provide timely forecasting update for relevant units,especially rain volume and flows of Son La and Hoa Binh rivers, as well asprepare forces and vehicles for search and rescue if necessary.

The Vietnam News Agency, VietnamTelevision, Radio the Voice of Vietnam, and press outlets from the central tolocal levels must raise public awareness of the storm and regularly report to theNational Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and theNational Committee for Disaster Response, Search and Rescue.

Over the next 24 hours, the stormis forecast to move north-north west, at about 5km per hour.

Later, over the next 48-72 hours,it will move west-south west and affect the north of the Tonkin Gulf, causingheavy to very heavy rainfalls in the northern and north central regions.–VNA